N E S W 346°
01 / 19
RWY 01/19
HDG 346°
LEN 10,502 ft
Cape Town International Airport

Runway 01 at FACT

Runway 01/19 at Cape Town International Airport (FACT) in Cape Town is a 10,502 ft, lighted, asphalt runway oriented 346°/166°. The runway is 200 ft wide. SkyMeter has observed 286 landings and 283 departures on this runway over the last 30 days, with approximately 0.0% of arrivals resulting in a go-around. Trace data shows an average final-approach slope of 1.9°, touchdowns averaging 874 ft past the threshold, a typical touchdown ground speed of 145 kt, a 1.5 kt average crosswind component, a 2.9 kt average headwind.

Last 30 Days
569 Operations
283 Deps / 286 Arrs

Runway 01/19 at Cape Town International Airport (FACT) in Cape Town is a 10,502 ft, lighted, asphalt runway oriented 346°/166°. The runway is 200 ft wide. SkyMeter has observed 286 landings and 283 departures on this runway over the last 30 days, with approximately 0.0% of arrivals resulting in a go-around. Trace data shows an average final-approach slope of 1.9°, touchdowns averaging 874 ft past the threshold, a typical touchdown ground speed of 145 kt, a 1.5 kt average crosswind component, a 2.9 kt average headwind.

Runway at a Glance

Arrival Volume

286 landings observed on Runway 01 in the last 30 days, alongside 283 departures.

Peak Hour

Busiest landing window observed at 09:00 with 10 arrivals on the recent sample.

Average Touchdown Zone

Aircraft touch down on average 874 ft from the threshold on Runway 01.

Prevailing Wind & Gust History

Over the past 365 days, winds at FACT have prevailed from the south (180°), accounting for roughly 24% of windy observations. Average wind speed sits at 9.7 kt with peak gusts to 53 kt. Strong winds (≥20 kt) occur on about 7% of observations — pilots flying into runway 01 should plan for occasional gusty conditions.

Light Crosswind Component

Average crosswind on landing is 1.5 kt at touchdown, measured against runway 01 alignment.

Approach Slope

Final-approach slope averages 1.9° on Runway 01, shallower than the standard 3°.

Landing Behavior and Touchdown Performance

The metrics below are computed from ADS-B trace data observed at Runway 01 over the last 30 days. Each value is shown only when at least 10 valid samples were available; sparse cells are hidden rather than estimated.

Avg approach slope
1.9°
Avg touchdown GS
145 kts
Avg touchdown zone
874 ft
Avg headwind
2.9 kt

Hourly Landing Distribution

04:00 1 landings
07:00 6 landings
08:00 5 landings
09:00 10 landings
10:00 3 landings
11:00 3 landings
12:00 6 landings
13:00 3 landings
14:00 3 landings
15:00 2 landings
16:00 4 landings
17:00 1 landings
19:00 2 landings
20:00 1 landings

Recent observed landings on Runway 01 grouped by hour-of-day (UTC).

Approach Types and Categories

Aircraft approach runways using different procedures based on weather conditions, visibility, and available navigation equipment. An Instrument Landing System (ILS) approach provides precision horizontal and vertical guidance using ground-based radio signals, enabling aircraft to land in low visibility conditions. Visual approaches require pilots to maintain visual contact with the runway and surrounding terrain, typically used during clear weather. Area Navigation (RNAV) approaches use GPS technology to guide aircraft along specific flight paths.

Approach Categories Explained

Category (CAT) classifications define minimum visibility and decision height requirements for instrument approaches. Higher categories enable operations in lower visibility conditions.

CAT I
Decision Height: 200 ft
Visibility: 550m
CAT II
Decision Height: 100 ft
Visibility: 300m
CAT III
Decision Height: 0-50 ft
Visibility: 0-200m
Visual
Clear of Clouds
Visibility: 5 km

Wind and Environmental Factors

Wind conditions directly impact runway operations, influencing approach difficulty, landing performance, and runway selection. Runway 01 benefits from favorable wind alignment, with prevailing winds creating minimal crosswind components for most operations. Average wind speeds of 12 knots pose no operational constraints for commercial aircraft.

24-Hour Wind Pattern

07:00
120° at 3 kts, gusting 0 kts
3 kts
08:00
10° at 3 kts, gusting 0 kts
3 kts
09:00
137° at 5 kts, gusting 0 kts
5 kts
10:00
217° at 5 kts, gusting 0 kts
5 kts
11:00
223° at 6 kts, gusting 0 kts
6 kts
12:00
217° at 6 kts, gusting 0 kts
6 kts
14:00
267° at 8 kts, gusting 0 kts
8 kts
15:00
160° at 6 kts, gusting 0 kts
6 kts
16:00
112° at 5 kts, gusting 0 kts
5 kts
17:00
0° at 3 kts, gusting 0 kts
3 kts
13:00
103° at 4 kts, gusting 0 kts
4 kts
19:00
250° at 6 kts, gusting 0 kts
6 kts
20:00
150° at 4 kts, gusting 0 kts
4 kts
04:00
0° at 2 kts, gusting 0 kts
2 kts
METAR
20° at 8 kts, gusting 0 kts
8 kts

Wind patterns show typical diurnal variation with stronger winds during midday hours.

Average Speed
12 kts
Peak Gust
18 kts
Prevailing Direction
346°
Avg Crosswind
8 kts

Related Pages

About This Data

This analysis covers 569 operations recorded over the past 30 days, derived from global ADS-B flight broadcasts. Coverage may be incomplete in areas with limited ground-station reception, and statistics may vary with weather and traffic volume.